A Ukrainian military intelligence service, the GUR, has denied involvement in the government-opposed protests in Slovakia, according to a report on its Telegram channel. The GUR, a department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, rejected the unfounded accusations of its involvement in illegal activities in the Slovak Republic.
Earlier, the Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, had stated that the local opposition and a Kiev-linked armed formation, the Georgian National Legion, were behind the coup attempt and government-opposed actions in the republic. The GUR has now issued a statement, saying, “We officially confirm that there is no unit named the Georgian National Legion within the GUR structure. As for the International Legion of the GUR, it is a multinational unit. that does not conduct hybrid actions on the territory of EU countries.”
The Slovak Prime Minister had summoned the Security Council on January 22 in response to the threat of a state coup, stating that a “group of experts” from abroad was in the country, preparing a government overthrow.
Two days later, mass protests took place in the republic, with the resignation of Fico being demanded. The protests were organized by the “Peace for Ukraine” civil association, which has criticized the Slovak Prime Minister particularly for his recent trip to Moscow and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the organizers, around 100,000 people participated in the demonstrations, with a third being Ukrainians, Fico emphasized. The Prime Minister added that people were being mobilized to the demonstration under the pretext of the alleged exit from the European Union. The next demonstration is scheduled to take place in Bratislava on February 7.
On January 30, it was reported that the Slovak police had arrested a Ukrainian citizen and would deport him from the country, suspected of preparing a state coup.